RocketMan's Glog - Starting Second Season

Finally getting around to germinating my seeds to start growing some peppers. I took 14 varities out of the 42 in my seed library (Special thanks to everyone that helped out with seeds) and some of the old pill bottles I had saved (usually that's where I keep the screws I collect when I strip out an old computer system) then added 8 seeds to the bottles and filled with water. Going to let the seeds soak for 24 hours, then place on coffee filters and back into the bottles till its time to plant them. Here's a shot on the bottles:

The 14 I picked are:

1. Peruvian White Hab......................Pic1
2. Jamaican Hot Chocolate...............Pic1
3. Douglah......................................Pic1
4. Fatalii.........................................Pic1
5. Trinidad Scorpion Butch T............Pic1
6. Datil...........................................Pic1
7. Red Savina Hab..........................Pic1
8. Jamaican Red Scotch Bonnet......Pic1
9. Chocolate Hab............................Pic1
10. Black Hab................................Pic1
11. Trinidad Scorpion Yellow...........Pic1
12. 7/Pot Red................................Pic1
13. Bhut Jolokia.............................Pic1
14. No heat Jalapeno.....................FyrDad4
*Thank you Gentlemen

I really wanted to get a nice cross section of heat levels and to grow some peppers that I hear alot of talk about but can't find locally. most of them will be going into sauces however if I happen to get a really good crop of peppers I might have to look into drying some and making some powders. This is the first year that I'm growing peppers from seeds. I've planted Jalapeno and Habs that I picked up from Lowes or Home Depot before but never really done the research and gotten the dirt under my fingers.
I thought about whether to use Peat Pellets or Rock Wool but right now i'm thinking about just going with some good soil or a seed starting mix and I already have a bunch of Red Solo Cups. I'm planning on 6 or 8 holes in the bottom of the cup so I can bottom water them and I might place some up and down the sides so that some air can get in.

I'm really looking forward to this and if it goes good I might even be able to convince the boss to let me take a section of the back yard and put in a garden. Might even put in a flower or 2, well so long as they're edible that is.

Thanks for stopping by and check back I'll be here.

Thanks for stopping by,
RM

 

[stickman]

So, in the style of Paul and Rick here is lunch today. Chicken Fried Steak smothered in gravy and Rocket Fuel #2....
The sauce is 4 days old now and has great flavor and good heat but not as hot as I was hoping for given the peppers used. It's also a touch sweeter than i wanted. Now that I have the complaint out, it has some really great flavor. The Agave is a perfect match to the flavor of the peppers and the Lager. Heat is about Habanero Plus but not near what the peppers used should have taken it to. Overall I'm very pleased with it.

Great looking sauce Bill... I wish I could get a taste of it too! Maybe it's not as spicy as you intended because of the sugar content. I know that if I want to "iron out the rough spots" in a sauce I make, I add some sugar. The flip side is that it mellows all the other flavors too, so if there's one you want to bring to the forefront, you have to add more to compensate. My rule of thumb is "If you can't taste it with your eyes closed... there's not enough!"

 

[RocketMan]

I don't usually have that problem wiht Agave but I know what you mean. I think the problem here was one of volume. I just made more sauce than I should have for the ampount of peppers I had. i had thought about adding some habs I had in the fridge but when I looked at them they didn't look so good so I didn't bother and it was too alte to go to the store.

 

[RocketMan]

It will be a week tomorrow and the jar has cleared up alot as the starter spread through out the jar and the water lever has risen as teh veggies have given up some of their juices. Intrestingly side note, sometimes when I look at the jar, especially when I grind up the ingredients into a true mash, you can really see Brownian Motion at work. Won't be able to see that much in this one though.

Have a great day, it's Friday Eve!

 

[romy6]

You are always making me hungry Bill. Stop it

Powder should be there today. The fatali jonah is more fatali than jonah just a heads up!

 

[PaulG]

The fermented peppers look like they will be great.
The chicken fried steak looked pretty good, too!
Wish it was dinner time : )

If Rick won't come cook for us, maybe you will?
Best of the weekend to you, Bill, hope you are able to dodge
the rainstorms and get out in the pepper patch.

 

[RocketMan]

Stopped by the mail box on my way home and there stearing out at me were a package from romy6 and MGOLD86. Now I knew romy was sending me some powder but I didn't expect to see these in the package:

and believe me I wont mistake those little red ones for spoon tomatoes again. Those little things are firecrackers, they are.

Matt caught me totally by surprise with his stuffed little box of heat.

but beware matt, you know what I like to do with these things so at some point they may come back to you in another form to burn ya



Thank you very much. Hopefully I'll be able to send a few out when mine start producing over the winter.

 

[RocketMan]

Today is the day for making Bourbon Fatalii Apple Butter. And here we go

Cut 4 pounds of Apples into quarters and put them seeds and all into a pot with
1 cup Rice Vinegar
1 cup Bourbon
1 cup Water

Bring it to a simmer for 20 minutes and then run it through a food processor till it's nice and smooth.

Press the apples and remaining liquid back into the pot with

2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice or nutmeg
rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp of romy6's Fatalii / Jonnah powder

and bring back to a simmer for 1 to 2 hours till it is thick and smooth.

stay tuned for the final processing.

 

[RocketMan]

Carefully ladel the hot Apple butter into a jar still hot from the pot

Add the lid and ring and tighten down

and back into the pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove them to some paper towels and allow to cool for 10 to 12 hours. Be sure to listen for the pop.

Once cool enough to handle label them and add the date.

man this stuff is good. Just the right amount of burn too.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.

 

[highalt]

Wow, you got an early start this morning! Enjoyed the play by play photos. That looks yummy!!!

What kind of apples did you use? I make a lot of applesauce in the fall for the kids, and my favorite is Honeycrisp. Just the right combination of tart and sweet.

So how do you use the apple butter? On toast, or to baste meats?

I really wanted to make a batch of pepper jelly today, but had a meeting to go to this morning, and now the day's getting away from me. Maybe on Monday when all the kids are at school ...

 

[RocketMan]

Tonight I'll be using it to glaze 16 pounds of pork loin which has been in the smoker since 11:00 on Applewood. I like regular Apple Butter on toast and bagles etc...I'll be sure to post up some pics.

 

[romy6]

I should be able to get to your house by dinner time Bill. Looks absolutley delicious

 

[HopsNBarley]

WOW! That should be awesome on the smoked pork.
I love the sweet and the heat together... and then you had to knock it outta the park with the bourbon!

 

[RocketMan]

and now for your screen licking pleasure, I just coated these 2 loins with a generous portion of the Apple Butter.

Oh, don't tell SalsaLady, she's already had to replace her monitor 3 times this month.

 

[HopsNBarley]

Now ya done did it....
I just about ruined my keyboard with all the drool.
That looks AWESOME!

 

[3/5King]

holy crap RM. You are breaking a weak man here....I am going to have to try out that apple butter! I will have to tweak the recipe of course bwahahahaha....lol ask LunchBox about that one haha. I'm liking what I'm seeing, I'm going to have to stop by at a later time and catch up with all of the goodness you have going on in here. Have a good weekend buddy.

 

[RocketMan]

Thanks David, that pork was so good no one could stop eating ling enough to take any shots of the carnage. I did manage to hide a bit though for some lunch so i'll get some pics of the onside of it.

 

[chsy83]

Great looking recipe, and on the pork. I need to make some more things . . .

 

[stickman]

Looking good Bill! I have a whole pork shoulder in the freezer, a bag of charcoal and some apple wood stacked in back... you're giving me ideas! Maybe it's time to break out the apple-habanero sauce I made and baste the pork with that as I smoke it. I have a couple of nephews coming next weekend. One is in the army and has transfer orders for overseas. Gotta give him a good sendoff!

 

[RocketMan]

Thanks Rick, I had the loin in a brine for 2.5 hours then straight into the smoker bare. when I learned about smoking meat I was told that meat will only take in smoke at temps below 110 degrees f. So I kept it at 110 for 2 hours and then cranked it up to 230 for 4 hours. At that point I glazed it with a nice thick coating of Apple Butter and let them go another 2 hours at 230. Pulled them out and tented them till time to eat. They came out nice and smoky. the Apple Butter goes perfectly with the smoked pork and the Fatalii / Jonah was just the right heat. We had more of the Apple Butter on the table, it was great.

 

[stickman]

Thanks Rick, I had the loin in a brine for 2.5 hours then straight into the smoker bare. when I learned about smoking meat I was told that meat will only take in smoke at temps below 110 degrees f. So I kept it at 110 for 2 hours and then cranked it up to 230 for 4 hours. At that point I glazed it with a nice thick coating of Apple Butter and let them go another 2 hours at 230. Pulled them out and tented them till time to eat. They came out nice and smoky. the Apple Butter goes perfectly with the smoked pork and the Fatalii / Jonah was just the right heat. We had more of the Apple Butter on the table, it was great.

Hi Bill
You're definitely right about cooking first and glazing afterwards... but if you brine the meat and let a pellicle form on the surface, the smoke particles won't get past it anyway, so you may as well cook and smoke at the same time; just so it's low and slow...Kippering; smoke cooking the meat directly over the heat source is another great method, but best used for thin pieces of meat that'll cook quickly... fish filets, bulgogi and Kalbi Kui for example.